Pasadena Schools Expand Health Services With Grant

Families in Pasadena Unified can expect more clinical staff and clinic hours through October 2028 as the grant rolls out.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Administration

Pasadena Schools Expand Health Services With Grant

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Do you think local schools are doing enough to support student mental health?

Pasadena Unified School District is using a $5 million Kaiser Permanente grant, administered through the Pasadena Educational Foundation, to expand school-based health services and trauma-responsive support after the Eaton Fire. The grant runs through October 31, 2028, and families in Pasadena schools are seeing the new staffing and clinic hours roll out.

Why it matters

For Pasadena families, the grant means more on-campus mental and physical health support for students whose lives were disrupted by the Eaton Fire, without new costs passed to households. It also shows how the district is trying to stabilize health services over several years rather than through one-time hires.

The grant totals $5 million, with an initial $1.66 million payment on execution and a second payment scheduled for November 2026. The November 2025 board report projected 13 new full-time positions, and in May 2026 the district announced two clinical social workers and a restorative practices liaison had been hired.

The players

Kaiser Permanente

A large nonprofit health system that awarded this grant and focuses on community health programs.

Pasadena Educational Foundation

The local nonprofit that administers the grant funds in coordination with the school district.

Pasadena Unified School District

The public school district that is using the grant to expand health services for its students.

The details

The Pasadena Educational Foundation administers the funds in coordination with the district, and the grant agreement requires interim and final reports to Kaiser Permanente. The money pays for expanded hours at the PUSD Health Clinic, school-based health staff, and trauma-informed professional development for employees. Two grant-funded licensed clinical social worker openings were posted on October 9, 2026.

May 2026: District announces two clinical social workers and a restorative practices liaison hired.
October 9, 2026: Two grant-funded clinical social worker openings posted.
November 2026: Second grant payment of $1.66 million scheduled.
November 2027: Final grant payment scheduled.
October 31, 2028: Grant period ends.

The Home Front

The Eaton Fire recovery has been reshaping school-based services across the Pasadena area, with this grant adding multi-year clinical capacity. For households, it signals that community-funded health support is being built into school budgets rather than offered only as temporary relief.

If you have a student in Pasadena Unified, ask the school whether your child's counselor, nurse, or clinic hours have changed this year. Families who want to use the PUSD Health Clinic should check current hours with their school, since the grant is expanding them.

The takeaway

School-based health support is increasingly funded through multi-year community grants, so it is worth asking your school which services are available to your child. Keep the district's health clinic hours and staff contacts on file for the coming school years.

What happens next

Two grant-funded clinical social worker positions were posted October 9, 2026, and a second $1.66 million grant payment is scheduled for November 2026.